New Gronkowski deal likely, but not imminent

Chatter regarding a potential trade of Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski continues to bubble up from time to time in part because Gronkowski has yet to get a new contract. And a new contract won’t be coming in the immediate future.

Per a source with knowledge of the situation, a new contract for Gronkowski is likely, but nothing is imminent.

The source added that there’s still plenty of work to do. The biggest challenge, in our estimation (and not from any source), would be to determine whether Gronkowski will get another incentive-driven raise (he earned an extra $5.5 million last year) or whether he will have a guaranteed increase in his base pay, regardless of performance.

Then came Trump’s remarks the morning after the NFL’s new anthem policy was announced last Wednesday: You have to stand proudly for the national anthem or you shouldn’t be playing. You shouldn’t be there. Maybe you shouldn’t be in the country.

In recordings at the owners-players meeting last year, as reported by the New York Times, Lurie was highly critical of Trump and the role he played in the anthem issue: But this is not where you brandish a group of people because they own assets in a sport we love, supporting what many of us perceive as, you know, one disastrous presidency, he said, adding a profanity to his description.

Yet, by all accounts, Lurie was in favor of the policy enacted last week — it has been since revealed that the owners did not take an actual vote — and made a statement that made no reference to the new policy, but praised the players for being committed to finding productive ways to fight social injustice, poverty and other societal issues that are important to all of us.